Gen V K Singh had informed A K Antony about bribe offer: CBI

Former defence minister A K Antony has “admitted” that then Army chief Gen V K Singh had informed him about alleged bribe offer by Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh for clearing the file for purchase of 1,676 Tatra trucks at a cost of Rs 1193.04 crores, the CBI has told a court here.

The agency has stated this in its chargesheet filed against Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh, who is accused of offering Rs 14 crore as bribe to the former Army chief who is now a minister of state of external affairs and minister of state incharge of department of northeast region.

“A K Antony, raksha mantri, in his statement in Parliament on March 27, 2012 and the one recorded under section 161 CrPC during investigation, has confirmed having been informed by Gen V K Singh about such offer of bribe made to him about one to one-and-a-half-year ago by Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh,” CBI has claimed in its chargesheet.

“During investigation A K Antony admitted having been informed by Gen V K Singh with respect to offer of bribe by Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh for clearing the Tatra trucks purchase file,” CBI has said in its nine-page charge sheet.

Tejinder Singh has been chargesheeted for the offence punishable under section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

CBI has arrayed 20 prosecution witnesses, including A K Antony, T K A Nair, the then advisor to the Prime Minister and V K Singh, and the agency has filed a set of 18 documents along with the chargesheet.

CBI also said that according to V K Singh, when he had reported the incident about alleged bribe offer by Tejinder Singh, the then defence minister had “expressed shock” on it.

The agency, in its chargesheet, has alleged that during the probe, the former Army chief had claimed to have recorded the alleged conversation between him and Tejinder Singh on September 22, 2010 but “the same was not provided by him (V K Singh) to the investigating agency despite efforts.”

CBI said that V K Singh had said that on September 22, 2010, during a meeting at his office here, he was allegedly offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore by Tejinder Singh to clear the file for procurement of Tatra trucks by the first week of October.